Colorado Rockies forests

Colorado Rockies forests
Spruce forest in the Colorado Rockies
Ecology
Biome	Temperate coniferous forest
Bird species	210[1]
Mammal species	103[1]
Geography
Country	United States
States	Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico
Conservation
Habitat loss	1.2653%[1]
Protected	65.39%[1]

The Colorado Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the United States.

Contents

• 
  1 Setting
  


• 
  2 Flora
  


• 
  3 Fauna
  


• 
  4 Threats and preservation
  


• 
  5 See also
  


• 
  6 References
  


• 
  7 External links
  

Setting

This ecoregion is located in the highest ranges of the Rocky Mountains, in central and western Colorado, northern New Mexico and southeastern Wyoming, and experiences a dry continental climate.^[2][3]

Flora

The dominant vegetation type of this ecoregion is coniferous forest. In contrast with Rocky Mountain ecoregions to the north, lodgepole pine is rather rare, replaced by Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides). Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. glauca) and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanni) can also be found in the mountain forests. Bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata) is the dominant plant at the tree line/krummholz zone. Aside from coniferous forests, the ecoregion contains meadows, foothill grasslands, riparian woodlands and alpine tundra.

Fauna

Mammals include elk (Cervus canadensis), mule deer (Odocoileus hemonius), black bear (Ursus americanus), wolverine (Gulo gulo), North American cougar (Puma concolor), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), and American marten (Martes americana). Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis) may exist in this region but there has not been a confirmed sighting of a grizzly in Colorado since 1979.^[4]

Threats and preservation

While this ecoregion is listed as "relatively stable/intact", it is threatened by logging, mining, oil and gas development, recreational-residential construction, domestic livestock grazing and introduction of exotic species. Protected areas include Rocky Mountain National Park and Indian Peaks Wilderness in north-central Colorado, South San Juan Wilderness in south-central Colorado, Carson National Forest in north-central New Mexico and Medicine Bow – Routt National Forest in southeastern Wyoming.

See also

• Southern Rocky Mountains


• Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine forest


• Rocky Mountains subalpine zone

References

1. 
   ^ ^abcd
   Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L., ed. The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ "Colorado Rockies forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
   


3. 
   ^ http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/50511.htm Colorado Rockies forests (Vanderbilt University)
   


4. 
   ^ "Wildlife Officials Hope Grizzly Bears Stay Out Of Colorado". CBS Denver. 23 May 2012.
   

External links

• 
  National Geographic.org: Colorado Rockies forests ecoregion^{[permanent dead link]}
  

v t e Nearctic temperate coniferous forests

Alberta Mountain forests Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests Arizona Mountains forests Atlantic coastal pine barrens Blue Mountains forests British Columbia mainland coastal forests Cascade Mountains leeward forests Central British Columbia Mountain forests Central and Southern Cascades forests Central Pacific coastal forests Colorado Rockies forests Eastern Cascades forests Fraser Plateau and Basin complex Florida Scrub Great Basin montane forests Haida Gwaii Klamath-Siskiyou forests Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests Middle Atlantic coastal forests North Central Rockies forests Northern California coastal forests Northern Pacific coastal forests Northern transitional alpine forests Okanogan dry forests Piney Woods forests Puget lowland forests Sierra Nevada forests South Central Rockies forests Southeastern conifer forests Wasatch and Uinta montane forests

This page is only for reference, If you need detailed information, please check here